Word: spock
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...reporting of my talk at Lowell House was generally excellent but I was uneasy about the statement"...Spock...discouraged people from idealistic backgrounds from feeling guilty about sex." This is a condensation which suggests something different from the point I was trying to make. Sexuality in human beings is incredibly complex. In families with higher education and higher ideals it is more strongly repressed in childhood and adolescence, more sublimated throughout life. It is infused with tenderness, devotion, inspiration, and also guilt. It is the principal force behind scholarly, scientific, and creative drives. The patterns vary, of course, in different...
...recent years, Dr. Spock has become increasingly engaged in politics, first as a Kennedy supporter and now as co-chairman of SANE. "Some people have gotten pretty upset by my politicking. Whenever I used to campaign for Kennedy, I would get a few letters from mothers saying, 'I thought I could trust...
...about SANE are particularly strong: "What's the use of advising parents about ordinary diseases when the overwhelming danger is annihilation, fallout and the damage caused by the cold war psychology?" He went on to cite clinical studies of this damage in children. It is a characteristic of Dr. Spock that he states his ideas directly and simply, but is always able to back them up. Someone commented on this ability...
...Spock went on to say that clarity was particularly important in advising parents. "Mothers in America are in a peculiarly difficult position, and are easily disturbed and confused. The trouble is that in America, unlike most other societies, newlyweds are expected to be immediately independent of their parents. Grandmothers are not allowed to help much in the rearing of children; in fact, their help may be resented by the mother. As a result, American women are plunged into motherhood, rather than assuming their role gradually...
Discussion around the table turned back to children, and Dr. Spock was asked what he thought of kids. "I have great respect for them--they're much harder to confuse than parents--and great affection. They're wonderful conversationalists; they haven't become all hot air and platitudes, and they are truly noble. If we could only find how to bring them up right, we could have a very good world...